The present invention generally relates to vessels that contain static or flowing fluids, including conduits such as hydraulic hoses of the types used in mobile machinery, automotive, aerospace, manufacturing, and process equipment. More particularly, this invention relates to hydraulic hoses equipped with means for sensing the life of the hose in terms of wear, fatigue, and/or other structural breakdown of its components, and means for electrically monitoring the hose to predict a structural failure.
Interest exists in developing methods for consistently predicting the failure of vessels containing fluids, including but not limited to hoses, thereby enabling replacement or repair of the vessel before failure. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,634,497 to Neto, U.S. Pat. No. 6,386,237 to Chevalier et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 6,498,991 to Phelan et al. disclose the detection of a worn hose by sensing the electrical resistivity in one or more wires embedded in the wall of the hose. These patents focus on detecting a discontinuity in the embedded wires, such as would result from breakage of the wires due to wear as opposed to sensing a gradual increase in resistivity attributable to wear or deformation of the hose or its wires.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,343,738 to Skaggs differs by disclosing a method for capacitively sensing the failure of a hose. In Skaggs, a fuel leakage through an inner layer of a hose is sensed on the basis of the leaked fuel altering the dielectric properties of an insulating material between a pair of copper wires embedded in the hose. Similar to Skaggs, U.S. Pat. No. 5,992,218 to Tryba et al. discloses sensing water leakage through a hose on the basis of the leaked water increasing the conductivity of an electrical insulating layer between a pair of conductor layers separated by the insulating layer. U.S. Pat. No. 5,969,618 to Redmond also discloses a method for detecting the failure of a hose on the basis of electrical conductivity. Redmond's hose is formed to have an annulus containing separated wires, and the failure of the inner layer of the hose is sensed when fluid leaks into the annulus and closes an electric circuit containing the wires.
Another approach to sensing an impending failure of a hose is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,446,892 to Maxwell. Maxwell discloses a fluid (oil) transport hose formed by at least two plies and a sensing element therebetween. In one embodiment of Maxwell, the sensing element is responsive to the electromagnetic properties of fluid present between the plies as a result of a failure of an inner ply of the hose. In a second embodiment of Maxwell, the sensing element is responsive to the failure of an inner ply of the hose by presenting an open circuit. The sensing element is said to preferably be a coil of fine wire wrapped around the inner ply and connected to means responsive to changes in the electrical impedance (AC) of the coil. Such changes are said to occur from fluid seepage into the material contacting with the coil or deformation of the inner ply, both of which change the inductance of the coil. In an alternative embodiment in which the sensing element is primarily intended to be responsive to the seepage of fluid (oil) between the plies of the hose, Maxwell employs parallel non-touching wires connected to means responsive to a change in conductance between the individual wires or to a change in the capacitance between the wires.
The prior art discussed above is particularly concerned with conduits through which a fluid is conveyed from one location to another, as opposed to fluid conduits such as hydraulic hoses in which little flow actually occurs and structural fatigue of the wall from pressure cycles is an important factor in hose life. Furthermore, sensing systems of the type suggested by Maxwell are generally useful in relatively low pressure systems where the detection of seepage within the hose wall could provide an adequate warning of impending failure. However, in high pressure fluid components such as hydraulic hoses, once seepage occurs catastrophic failure is likely to occur in a matter of seconds, not hours or even minutes. Therefore, it would be desirable if a method and hose design were available that made it possible to not only sense an imminent fatigue failure of a hydraulic hose, but were also capable of predicting when a structural failure of the hose will occur so that the hose can be safely used for its full life and then replaced before any damage occurs to the fluid system containing the hose or the apparatus employing the hose.